St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-05
How Small Family by Strict Economy
Can Exist on $50 a
Week.
The Husband Must Attend to Business
and Give UP Drink and
Smoking.
The Wife Should Give More Attention
to the Kitchen Than to Dress
and show.


EASY enough"
What! on $40 week."
Yes. Come down to the rule. l could
live tolerably well on SIS week."
But how?"
"Well, if you think seriously of getting
! married and want some points Eli help you
| out.
I'm the first place, you must study econ
omy. You can't smoke or drink dozen
times day, and treat whoever you chance
| to meet OH the street. And you will have
| to give faro. gambling at cards and playing
pool and billiards for the drinks the go-by
altogether.
The next thing on the programme is to
get wife who is'not born Spendthrift.
If your partner for life has a taste for
home and is anxious to lay up something
for rainy day, there will be no trouble,
no matter what your salary is; but
if she is all for dress and show, big
suppers and theater, you might as well
hang up your fiddle on the start, for your
salary will never be large enough. no mat
ter whether you get $40 week, or even
500.
Let me tell you how live on $50
week, and manage to live pretty comforta
bly,.
Il have three large rooms in flat; each
room has big closet; then there is bath
room and water-closet. For these l pay
$15 month. or $3.50 year. One room
we have fixed up as bedroom. Then
comes sitting-room where we keep the
sewing machine, a library and secretary,
ana bed-lounge for the lit
tie ones. The kitchen is plenty large
enough to eat in. In the summer we use
gas stove. We buy our bread from the
baker, but get most of our vegetables, meat,
butter and eggs on market. One can buy
at least one third cheaper on market, and,
besides, the stuff is so much fresher. We
get everything that's new in the way of
vegetables and fruits. In the summer my
wife buys apples, peaches and grapes by
the bushel or box. and makes her own
jelly for winter use. Now, with four in
the family 81 supplies lis for week in
groceries, vegetables, bread and milk,
and meat. l am very fond of meat and so
are my children. so we have either a pork
or beef roast. a tenderlOin or veal chops
for dinner, and on Sundays we must have
our roast turkey, chicken OF baked fish"
Washing we have done outside for so
cents week.
Gas and fuel costs us IS cents week.
From now Oh to October we will hardly
use ton of coal. In the winter we run
two fires. one in the kitchen and one in the
sitting ROOM.
LAS to clothing, S104 year will keep me
dressed as well as l care to appear. l geta
suit made to orderin the spring and another
in the fall, each for S25. got Inc first
class Overcoat for S24. and as | already had
good heavy one for rough weather. will
not need another for two or three years.
Thirty dollars is plenty to keep Inc in shoe
leather. hats, collars, cuffs. neckties and
underwear. To be sure, l don't go and buy
my clothing where l have to pay at least
half the price asked simply for the high
tone name the tailor bears.
LAS rule it costs more to dress woman
| than a man, that is il she is given much to
dress, and leaves all of her work to the
6ressmaker. But my wife. though good
dresser, has the knack of making all OF her
own dresses and bonnets and all of the
children's clothes. This is a big saving.
In fact, more than half. When she buys
goods Tor dress she knows just what she
wants, and there is no waste of material.
Where dressmaker will advise customer
to buy eighteen yards for dress my wife
will take fifteen and have plenty Fifty
two dollars will cover her entire expenses
| for the year for clothing, including bonnets,
shoe leather and underwear. BY her max
ing the children's clothes we are able to
clothe them dressy and well on $50 year.
$50 far my expenditures will foot up for
the week as follows:
Groceries, vegetables. meat bread and